How to protect your Telegram account from hijacking: common scams and 7 steps to stay safe

Telegram is the main messenger in Uzbekistan and much of Central Asia, which makes it a prime target for scammers. A hijacked account is used to ask your friends for money, sell your channels or blackmail you with private chats. Here are the most common schemes and concrete steps to protect yourself.

How accounts get stolen

• **“Vote for me” links.** A message from a friend asks you to vote in a contest. The link leads to a Telegram look-alike site that asks for your phone number and login code.
• **“You won a gift” or “free Telegram Premium”.** A fake bot or site asks for your login code.
• **“Your code came to me by mistake, please forward it”.** The scammer is trying to log into your account and needs the code you just received.
• **A fake “Telegram security service”.** They threaten to block your account and demand your code or password.

Remember: **Telegram never asks you for your code or password.** The login code is for you only — never send it to anyone, not even a “Telegram employee”.

7 steps to protect your account

1. **Turn on two-step verification.** Settings → Privacy and Security → Two-Step Verification. Choose a strong password and add a recovery email. Even if someone gets your SMS code, they can’t log in without the password. This is the single most important step.

2. **Check active sessions.** Settings → Devices. If you see an unknown device or city, tap “Terminate session” immediately. “Terminate all other sessions” kicks out every other device at once.

3. **Set a passcode.** Settings → Privacy and Security → Passcode Lock keeps your chats private if your phone ends up in someone else’s hands.

4. **Hide your phone number.** Privacy → Phone Number → “Nobody” or “My Contacts”, and limit who can find you by your number.

5. **Limit who can add you to groups.** Privacy → Groups → “My Contacts”. This protects you from spam groups and fake “investment” chats.

6. **Check links.** Telegram’s official domains are telegram.org and t.me. Any other site asking for your number and code to log in is a scam.

7. **Protect your SIM card.** Ask your mobile operator whether you can block SIM reissue without an in-person visit or set a PIN. Scammers sometimes try to transfer your number to themselves.

If your account was stolen anyway

• If you still have access, end all other sessions under Devices and change your two-step password right away.
• If you can’t log in, contact Telegram through its official support page at telegram.org/support.
• Warn your friends through other networks or SMS not to send money if someone asks in your name.
• If your chats contained bank card details, call your bank and block the card.

The takeaway

Two-step verification and regular checks of active sessions stop most attacks on Telegram accounts. It takes three minutes — turn it on now and share this guide with family and friends.